Portimão Portugal Match Cup - Collision as the pressure mounts

Portimão Portugal Match Cup is stage four of the 2011 World Match Racing Tour.

After the completion of qualifying session two, Reuben Corbett (NZL) AON Racing and Olli-Pekka Lumijarvi (FIN) Siragusawa Sailing Team cannot advance to the quarter finals after finishing with respective scores of 3-7 and 2-7.

The remaining eight teams need to claim points in the final qualifying session to ensure they continue in the event.

Current World Match Racing Tour leader Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing will need to put in a big display tomorrow to stay in the competition with only three wins to his name so far. With three matches left to sail, the pressure is on the Tour leader to prove his skill as qualifying reaches its climax.

The most dramatic moment of the day came in Bruni’s match with Portuguese skipper Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team as the two boats approached the first mark. Marinho luffed Bruni, forcing the Italian to keep clear. Unfortunately for Bruni his path was blocked by a media RIB and the two collided, Bruni’s yacht mounting the back of the RIB and forcing it under water. Bruni was unable to continue racing and race officials ordered the match be resailed tomorrow.

'We’re not super happy with the way we’re sailing here in Portugal,' Bruni said. 'We have to turn it round and be strong tomorrow. We made a few mistakes here and there. The crash with the press boat was a bit scary, it’s the first time I have hit a press boat. We’re a bit on the back foot now so we have to react tomorrow and sail better.'

After leading the standings going into today’s second qualifying session, Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team ran into trouble early on losing his three matches back to back and picking up a 0.5-point penalty for a collision with Bruni. Richard then mounted a comeback, winning the next three matches to put him back in contention for a quarter final place.

Richard said: 'It was a really strange day for us. After three matches we had -0.5 points – it was a nightmare. Luckily we stayed concentrated and sailed very well in the next three matches winning them all against very strong opponents. We knew we had to win our matches against Williams and Berntsson and we did that so we’re very happy but we need another win tomorrow to make it to the quarter finals.'

Also hanging dangerously around the drop zone are 2011 Korea Match Cup winner Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team and his fellow countryman Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team who end the day on 4-4 and 5-5 respectively. Along with Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Hansen has three matches yet to sail in which to pick up much-needed points – but for Berntsson his fate rests on the result of his one remaining match with Lumijarvi.